by Carol Hodes, for the SBOANJ

Manalapan, NJ — Harness racing Hall of Famer Stanley Dancer is competing for a spot in the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Voting ends on June 7.

Photo courtesy of SBOANJ

Stanley Dancer is competing for a spot in the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Dancer is a nominee in the sports category. The public may cast ballots at this link.

The Hall of Fame was created to “honor New Jerseyans who have made invaluable contributions.”

Dancer, one of the premier harness drivers and trainers in North America, died Sept. 9, 2005, at the age of 78. He grew up on the family farm in New Egypt, N.J., and converted it into a showcase training center called Egyptian Acres. He campaigned many of the sport’s greats on his way to induction into the harness racing Hall of Fame in 1969.

Dancer earned $1 million in purses in 1964, becoming the first driver to win that much in a single year, and drove Cardigan Bay, the first Standardbred to win $1 million in career prize money. He campaigned four Hambletonian winners.

His 3,781st and final winner came in 1995, bringing his earnings as a driver to more than $28 million.

Dancer trained and driven horses won the Triple Crown three times: trotters Nevele Pride in 1968 and Super Bowl in 1972, and pacer Most Happy Fella in 1970.

He trained and drove the harness Horse of the Year seven times: trotters Su Mac Lad in 1962 and Nevele Pride in 1967 through 1969, and pacers Albatross in 1971 and 1972 and Keystone Ore in 1976.